The two choices:

1. http://www.waymotorworks.com/wmw-ignition-package.html

2. http://new.minimania.com/web/Item/NMK1600/InvDetail.cfm



Advice?

 

Why do you think you need one?

OEM is a very good product and fairly bulletproof. Plug wires are the only real maintenance issue.

 

Since neither one will really make more power....unless you current ones are not working as they should.....get the cheaper one.....

Why do you have to replace it?
What are your goals? What mods do you have?
Since the gains are minimal, I'd go with the less expensive ones...
I personally run the MSD coil, and Kingsborne wires....neither is very pricey.....but they are both good replacements for the OEM's, at lower prices....
I personally would not spend big $$ on a set of ignition wires...on a MINI they are so short, there is little to be gained from spending big bucks on them (they can only transfer what they are given)....they are wires......not magic pipes....you are buying low impedance, or rather factory spec'ed impedance....anything else is just marketing mumbo-jumbo...."hot wires", "cool wires", are all high priced BS.

See this excerpt from Helix (http://www.helix13.com/mini/products/engine-intake)
CAPACITOR EFFECT WIRES with grounded metal braiding over jacket

The most notable of exaggerated claims for ignition wires are made by manufacturers of "grounded" wires, a recent manufacturer of ignition wires promoted as "the only spark plug wires with built-in capacitor." These consist of unsuppressed solid metal or spiral conductor ignition wires over which braided metal sleeves are partially fitted. The braided metal sleeves are grounded via straps formed from part of the braiding. Insulating covers are fitted over the braided metal sleeves. These wires are well constructed. For whatever reason, they specify that non-resistor spark plugs need to be used with their "HotWires." In a demonstration, the use of resistor plugs nullifies the visual effect of the brighter spark. Ignition wires with grounded braided metal sleeves over the cable have come and gone all over the world for (at least) the last 30 years, and similar wires were used over 20 years ago by a few car makers to solve cross-firing problems on early fuel injected engines and RFI problems on fiberglass bodied cars - only to find other problems were created. The recent Circle Track Magazine (USA, May, 1996 issue) test showed These "HotWires" produced no additional horsepower (the test actually showed a 10 horsepower decrease when compared to stock carbon conductor wires). The perceived effect a brighter spark, conducted by an ignition wire, encased or partially encased in a braided metal sleeve (shield) grounded to the engine, jumping across a huge free-air gap (which bears no relationship to the spark needed to fire the variable air/fuel mixture under pressure in a combustion chamber) is continually being re-discovered and cleverly demonstrated by marketers who convince themselves there's monetary value in such a bright spark, and all sorts of wild, completely un-provable claims are made for this phenomena. Like many in the past, they cleverly demonstrates a brighter free-air spark containing useless flash-over created by the crude "capacitor" (effect) of this style of wire. In reality, the bright spark has no more useful energy to fire a variable compressed air/fuel mixture than the clean spark you would see in a similar demonstration using any good carbon conductor wire. What is happening in such a demonstration is the coil output is being unnecessarily boosted to additionally supply spark energy that is induced (and wasted) into the grounded braided metal sleeve around the ignition wire's jacket. To test the validity of this statement, ask the demonstrator to disconnect the ground strap and observe just how much energy is sparking to ground. Claims by these companies of their "HotWires" creating sparks that are "300 times more powerful," reaching temperatures of "100,000 to 150,000 degrees F" (more than enough to melt spark plug electrodes), spark durations of "4 billionths of a second" (spark duration is controlled by the ignition system itself) and currents of "1,000 amperes" magically evolving in "capacitors" allegedly "built-in" to the ignition wires are as ridiculous as the data and the depiction of sparks in photographs used in advertising material and the price asked for these wires! Most stock ignition primaries are regulated to 6 amperes and the most powerful race ignition to no more than 40 amperes at 12,000 RPM. It is common knowledge amongst automotive electrical engineers that it is unwise to use ignition wires fitted with grounded braided metal sleeves fitted over ignition cable jackets on an automobile engine. This type of ignition wires forces its cable jackets to become an unsuitable dielectric for a crude capacitor (effect) between the conductor and the braided metal sleeves. While the wires function normally when first fitted, the cable jackets soon break down as a dielectric, and progressively more spark energy is induced from the conductors (though the cable jackets) into the grounded metal sleeves, causing the ignition coil to unnecessarily output more energy to fire both the spark plug gaps and the additional energy lost via the braided metal sleeves. Often this situation leads to ignition coil and control unit overload failures. It should be noted that it is dangerous to use these wires if not grounded to the engine, as the grounding straps will be alive with thousands of volts wanting to ground-out to anything (or body) nearby. Unless you are prepared to accept poorly suppressed ignition wires that fail sooner than any other type of ignition wires and stretch your ignition system to the limit, and have an engine with no electronic management system and/or exhaust emission controls, it's best not to be influenced by the exaggerated claims, and some vested-interest journalists', resellers' and installers' perception an engine ha more power after These wires are fitted. Often, after replacing deteriorated wires, any new ignition wires make an engine run better.

OTHER DEVICES CLAIMING TO INCREASE SPARKS:

Never be fooled by any device that is fitted between the ignition coil and the distributor, and/or distributor and the spark plugs (sometimes in place of ignition wires) for which claims of increased power, multiple sparks, and better fuel economy are made. These devices have come and gone over the last 50 years, and usually consists of a sealed container in which the spark is forced to jump an additional gap or is partially induced to ground on its way to the spark plug gap. These devices can also be cleverly demonstrated to produce sparks the human eye perceives as being "more powerful." The only "increase" a gullible consumer can expect from these devices is an undesirable increase in load on their vehicle's ignition system.


As for the coil, I got a new one since the terminals were corroding...very common on the OEM....most aftermarket ones have Brass terminals, a big improvement!!

 

Acutally, I removed my ignition components, Screamin Deamon and plug wires and noticed considerable difference from OEM. Maybe because of my mods but there was a difference....

Also, RSR Motorsports noticed as well. This year they have removed their stock ignition system from their track cars and are now running set ups off of a BMW. Apparently a weak link in the chain for at least some modded MINI's.

 

Thanks all. I appreciate all the feedback. I am considering them since I am planning for 15% pulley, uprated injectors, and general 100K maintenance. Since I am changing it anyways, I thought I might as well change with uprated.

 

I think back in high school learning about basic electricity. So I look for resistor ignition wire with the least ohm's per foot. Also in the same basic electrical leaning experience copper is a better conductive than aluminum. Electrical parts that have anything with copper gets my attention and use.

 

OEM. Unless you have some sort of very high HP car and are experiencing ignition issues as a result.

Mini uses quality parts in their ignition system, it's not a base model 92 Toyota Corolla we are talking about.

 

yea.....there is no documentation anywhere that removing a good working coil and wires will improve performance. If the OEM stuff is failing or defective, then yes it will help. There have been some instances of the #3 coil terminal corroding because of the materials used, but it is not a universal problem.

The RSR guys removed the ENTIRE ecu system including ignition. Not a fair comparison now is it.

 

Actaully there is documentation all over the internet about the design and qulity of spark plug wires. I wonder what a new single wire from mini would measure out ohm wise? I would imagine rather high by what I have read they are made of maybe in the 700-900 ohm range or more. If I am correct than simply changing to a lower ohms wire set will improve the ignition system alone.

The coil #3 mentioned has me wonder how a simple coil that fires 2 times or 2 terminals a cycle only corroding one terminal? We have what is called a Waste spark ignition firing system. If you look how this works you will understand my confusion. Maybe the stock wires are not so good as some think?

 

I have heard that ignition upgrades arent worth it, and that they are. Ive only read online that they arent. however, talking to a friend of my dad's who has some good experience with modding cars (he currently has a 550 hp mustang gt) has told me that its a good idea to get some nice plugs and wires. I personally plan to get some wires from ireland engineering, a speed deamon coil, and some ngk iridium (or maybe beru iridium) plugs.

 

Oy vey. OEM ignition is just fine. Maybe some cooler plugs if you have some mods, but the rest is pure money wasting.
Even a cursory reading of posts from the last 5 years on this forum will reveal that there are many areas that you can throw lots of $$$s at and yield great returns. The ignition system is not in that category. Sorry.

 

Ok, thanks. I will be leaving that one aside for now.

 

Depending on how many miles are on your MINI, maybe a set of plug wires & a set of plugs. IMHO those coil packs are very low on the bang for the buck scale.

 

Thanks. I already changed the plugs. Wires are next :D

 

I was recently at the Nielo MINI Sacramento dealer service department having a window motor changed and ask the factory BMW train technician the question about the oem wires. Not only did he say that they are not the best he demonstrated to me on a mini they were working on set up on a diagnostic machine. He showed me how a brand new set of BMW/MINI factory wires out of the box were high on the scale reading because of such a high ohm's resistance to start with. He said the start of peak voltage was already high and that the wire would not carry voltage through the combustion period within a good margin only barley within factory specification. He said that if it were not the case that warranty was the guide line replacing with aftermarket wires with lower ohm's and a good jacket are better than oem and recommends this to mini owners coming out of warranty. He also explained that most Mini owners would never know the condition of the wires unless placed on a scope like the one he was using.
So I suppose the stock ones are fine but a wise choice in spending money would be to upgrade from stock wires. It all electrical anyway to me which means it is a mystery?



The coil question was interesting in that he said that the only difference in oem verses after market coil is the quality of materials used. The stock coil is not like a fluid filled coil and that the case size for the metal plates which gives the output voltage only has room for so many given the area on the valve cover to fit. He had never tested an after market coil and only replaced a few coils under warranty. He did say to either stay with a stock coil or look for after market coils with copper terminals for better conductivity.

 

Great info Cobra. That makes me feel less guilty for spending money on new wires heh.

 

We put the Screamin demon in our kit cause it put out more voltage than the MSD.
As for the wires most of the wire failures I've seen were nology wires, and with their cost being so much I don't use them.